26th Nov 2020 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=148 lockdown_exit

Lockdown Exit

Reuters UK The British government on Thursday will set out which COVID19 restrictions each local authority in England will face when a national lockdown ends next week allowing businesses to reopen in areas where infection rates are lower. Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered England into a monthlong lockdown in early November after coronavirus cases and deaths started to rise again angering businesses and some of his own political party over the economic consequences. He set out new measures on Monday to replace the lockdown from Dec. 2 reinforcing a previous regional approach and warning that some areas would move into a higher alert level than the one they were in before. https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-britain-restrictio/britain-to-detail-post-lockdown-restrictions-in-england-idUKKBN286001 26th Nov 2020

Lockdown Exit

Daily Mail Seventeen suburbs on high alert after traces of COVID19 were found in sewage Cairns Far North Queensland has not had a case of coronavirus for months People in the area urged to get tested if they experience COVID19 symptoms https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8986141/COVID-19-Mystery-coronavirus-sewage-major-Queensland-city.html 25th Nov 2020

Lockdown Exit

The Scotsman Professor Neil Ferguson whose modelling led to a complete shutdown in March and April said he was confident vaccinations would lead to social distancing being lifted. He told a symposium yesterday hosted by the Abdul Latif Jameel Institute for Disease and Emergency Analytics JIDEA at Imperial College where he works I think it will vary from place to place but in the UK or much of Europe I think we will see a very difficult two or three months ahead as we go through winter. https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/uk-covid-lockdown-scientist-hopeful-booking-spring-holiday-3046464 25th Nov 2020

Lockdown Exit

NEWS.com.au They were once the cities people would move to for work but the coronavirus pandemic has made things look dramatically different now. While people have anecdotally shared stories of people moving from Melbourne after the Victorias harsh lockdown restrictions new data shows just how true that is. But Melburnians dont want to move to Sydney either with the city being snubbed for Brisbane. South Australians are also heading to the sunshine state according to Muval a national online removalist booking platform. https://www.news.com.au/finance/relocation-of-the-nation-expected-to-spike-next-month/news-story/7de23c8ce177f5ae3953be31206aa57f 25th Nov 2020

Lockdown Exit

CBC.ca Unlike other nations including Canada which have aimed to maintain new infections at a level that wont overwhelm the medical system Australia set out to virtually eliminate the virus from its shores. When Australia was hit with a surge of COVID19 cases in late July just weeks after declaring victory against the first wave it prompted one of the worlds longest lockdowns in Melbourne for example closing virtually everything that wasnt a grocery store or hospital for nearly four months. In many cities roadblocks were established to ensure people stayed home. Even when restrictions were eased there was a nightly curfew and in the initial lockdown people werent allowed to be more than five kilometres away from home in certain regions. Break a rule and you could face a fine of 1300. https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/australia-covid-19-pandemic-lockdown-1.5813280 25th Nov 2020

Lockdown Exit

Reuters UK Britains government spent almost twice as much as expected on encouraging people to eat in restaurants cafes and pubs during what proved to be a temporary lull in COVID19 cases in August. Official figures released on Wednesday ahead of new spending plans from finance minister Rishi Sunak showed his Eat Out to Help Out scheme cost 849 million pounds much more than an initial government estimate of 500 million pounds. https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-britain-furlough/uk-estimates-2-7-million-people-on-furlough-at-end-of-september-idUKKBN285175 25th Nov 2020

Lockdown Exit

BBC Germany is seeking an agreement with EU countries to keep ski resorts closed until early January in an attempt to curb the spread of coronavirus. I will say this openly that it wont be easy but we will try Chancellor Angela Merkel said after speaking to Germanys regional leaders on Tuesday. The news came as the country extended its partial lockdown until 20 December. Some of the early European coronavirus hotspots were at ski resorts helping spread infections across the continent. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-55081476 25th Nov 2020

Lockdown Exit

BBC The number of domestic abuse offences recorded by police in England and Wales has increased during the pandemic. But the Office for National Statistics said such offences gradually rose in recent years so it cannot be determined if it was related to the pandemic. Police recorded 259324 domestic abuse offences between March and June 7 up on the same period in 2019. During and after the first lockdown in April May and June roughly onefifth of offences involved domestic abuse. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55073229 25th Nov 2020

Lockdown Exit

South China Morning Post Beijing has agreed to set aside some vaccine supplies for Hong Kong if needed Carrie Lam says. Experts say lack of public support makes it hard to implement lockdown compulsory testing https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3111383/zero-infection-unlikely-hong-kong-without-drastic 25th Nov 2020

Lockdown Exit

ABC News Gen. Gustave Perna who is leading Operation Warp Speeds effort to distribute coronavirus vaccines nationwide told ABC News he is confident that vaccines will be on the street and headed to communities just 24 hours after being authorized by the Food and Drug Administration. While the first two vaccines to be distributed will likely be from Pfizer and Moderna Alex Azar the U.S. secretary of health and human affairs described the news from Astra Zenecas clinical trials as very promising and noted that the companys vaccine is already being produced in the country so it too can be ready for distribution once authorized by the FDA. Perna and Azar made their comments in exclusive interviews with ABC News correspondent Bob Woodruff during a visit to Operation Warp Speeds offices at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services HHS. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/general-covid-19-vaccines-ready-delivery-24-hours/story?id=74368606 25th Nov 2020

Exit Strategies

NPR Just a few months into the coronavirus pandemic Holly Smith had already made up her mind. She was not going to reopen her restaurant to diners until there was a vaccine. She just didnt think it was safe. When she shared the decision with her staff they asked Would the vaccine be mandatory Yes she said. It would be. Im not going to open until I can indeed be sure that everyone on my staff is vaccinated says Smith chef and owner of Cafe Juanita in Kirkland Wash. The immediate people on the team youve got to take care of them. If you dont take care of them they cannot help you take care of business. https://www.npr.org/2020/11/25/937240137/as-covid-19-vaccine-nears-employers-consider-making-it-mandatory 25th Nov 2020

Exit Strategies

Manchester Evening News Manchesters largest NHS trust is drawing up plans to vaccinate its staff against coronavirus. The Manchester Evening News has seen an early internal planning document circulated within Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. The Trust runs a number of hospitals including Manchester Royal Infirmary Wythenshawe Hospital Saint Marys Hospital Royal Manchester Childrens Hospital and Trafford General. Several potential Covid19 vaccines are in the later stages of clinical trials but still have to pass safety tests. Its not yet known whether or when a vaccine could be approved for use. But in line with Government instruction the NHS in all settings is gearing up to be ready to roll out vaccination programmes from any date in December although mass vaccination is said to be more likely to happen in the new year. https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/hospital-nhs-covid-19-vaccination-19329529 25th Nov 2020

Exit Strategies

Daily Mail Andy Burnham said it is more likely than not that GM will go into very high level Decision will be announced tomorrow over which regions go into which tiers. It will come into force when national lockdown ends next Wednesday 00.01am. He had standoff with Ministers last month whether to place GM into tier three https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8986619/Coronavirus-UK-Manchester-braces-return-tier-three-Englands-lockdown-ends.html 25th Nov 2020

Exit Strategies

Metro.co.uk Dr Hilary Jones has slammed the UK as a weak nation if it feels like the five day Christmas lockdown lift is necessary. The Good Morning Britain medical expert has warned that the governments plans for a fiveday break from coronavirus lockdown rules over the festive period could have an enormous effect on the country going forward. Trying to break it down into simpler terms he added that we could lose the advantage we currently have on keeping coronavirus contained. I think controlling the virus is like trying to control your weight. Its easy to put weight on its very difficult to lose it he explained. https://metro.co.uk/2020/11/25/christmas-uk-lockdown-lift-dr-hilary-jones-warns-plan-could-spell-disaster-13651202/ 25th Nov 2020

Exit Strategies

Sky News Coronavirus rules will be relaxed over the festive season across the UK with people allowed to celebrate in threehousehold Christmas bubbles with their families. Leaders in England Wales Scotland and Northern Ireland have all agreed that groups can meet at home outdoors or in a place of worship from 23 to 27 December. Individuals will also be able to travel between tiers and across the whole of the UK without restriction within the fiveday period for the purposes of meeting with their bubble. https://news.sky.com/story/a-covid-christmas-whats-allowed-during-the-festive-season-12138882 25th Nov 2020

Exit Strategies

World Economic Forum European countries enduring a second wave of COVID19 have once again locked down. There are signs that these measures are curbing the spread of the coronavirus. But experts warn certain steps are necessary if Europe is to successfully exit this period of lockdown and avoid repeating past mistakes. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/11/lockdowns-in-europe-seem-to-be-working-again-but-then-what/ 25th Nov 2020

Exit Strategies

The Times President Macron announced an easing of restrictions in France last night while preparing the nation for an unfamiliar festive season of sobriety homecooked meals and early nights. In a televised address Mr Macron who placed France in lockdown on October 29 said that he planned to lift it on December 15 if daily new infections fell below 5000 by that date. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/covid-lockdown-in-france-macrons-sobering-message-to-the-nation-5fs8ndlh2 25th Nov 2020

Exit Strategies

Metro President Emmanuel Macron has announced a threestep route out of lockdown for France ahead of the Christmas season declaring the second coronavirus peak to be over. People will be able to visit nonessential shops and go to museums and cinemas by midDecember but wont be able to enjoy a meal in a restaurant or a gym workout until late January as the Government strives to keep infection rates down. It comes after a month of tight restrictions with residents currently requiring a permission slip to leave their homes although schools and some workplaces remain open. https://metro.co.uk/2020/11/25/frances-lockdown-to-ease-as-macron-says-second-peak-has-passed-13651657/ 25th Nov 2020

Exit Strategies

FRANCE 24 The French government is pledging an additional 1.6 billion to help businesses forced to remain shut despite the easing of lockdown restrictions. Restaurants and gyms will remain closed until at least January 20 while no date has been given for the reopening of bars or nightclubs. The extra funds will be used to expand a grant scheme to help firms cover their costs during the crisis. Meanwhile business groups have welcomed news that all shops will be allowed to open from Saturday. https://www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/business-daily/20201125-french-goverment-pledges-more-support-for-businesses-as-lockdown-measures-eased 25th Nov 2020

Exit Strategies

Bloomberg French President Emmanuel Macron said he will gradually lift a nationwide lockdown from Saturday as he attempts to avoid a resurgence of the coronavirus. He also commented on Covid19 vaccinations in a televised address Tuesday https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2020-11-25/france-s-macron-announces-gradual-easing-of-lockdown-video 25th Nov 2020

Exit Strategies

The Guardian France has announced a limited easing of its strict nationwide lockdown and Germany and Spain have outlined restrictions on Christmas and new year gatherings as European governments act to prevent Covid cases multiplying over the holiday period. The announcements came as the second wave of the pandemic continued to cause daily death tolls not seen in the worst hit countries since the spring Spain recorded 537 new deaths on Tuesday and Italy a further 853 its highest daily toll since the end of March. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/24/france-to-ease-covid-lockdown-with-europe-wary-of-festive-surge 24th Nov 2020

Exit Strategies

STAT News Essential workers are likely to move ahead of adults 65 and older and people with highrisk medical conditions when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signs off on Covid19 vaccine priority lists coming after health care workers and people living in longterm care facilities a meeting of an expert advisory panel made clear Monday. The intention is to bring many people of color closer to the front of the vaccine priority line should they want to be vaccinated in recognition of the fact that the pandemic has disproportionately hit Black and Latino communities. https://www.statnews.com/2020/11/23/essential-workers-likely-to-get-earlier-access-to-covid-19-vaccine/ 23rd Nov 2020

Partisan Exits

The Guardian Leading London Tories are split over whether varying lockdown rules should be imposed on different areas of the capital depending on local infection rates. The mayor Sadiq Khan claimed there is consensus for tier 2 restrictions being introduced across London next week when the current lockdown is eased. Londons leaders have worked very closely together on a crossparty basis and are united on this our city going into tier 2 next week would seem the right and sensible decision he tweeted. But this apparent agreement threatens to unravel after lobbying by Tory MPs to allow areas with lower infection rates to have less stringent restrictions. The latest public figures show infection rates per 100000 in the capitals 32 boroughs vary from 113 in Camden to 387 in Havering. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/nov/24/london-tories-split-over-tiered-approach-after-covid-lockdown 25th Nov 2020

Partisan Exits

BBC A car has been driven into the gates of Angela Merkels Federal Chancellery building in Berlin German police say. A 54yearold man was detained but the background to the incident was unclear. The Volkswagen car had messages daubed in white on both sides. One called for an end to globalisation politics while another referred to you damned killers of children and old people. The incident came hours before Mrs Merkel held talks with regional leaders on extending Covid safety measures. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-55069047 25th Nov 2020

Partisan Exits

MarketWatch In his new book Let Us Dream The Path to a Better Future to be released Dec. 1 the head of the 1.3 billionmember Roman Catholic Church lambastes those who protest the health measures aimed at reducing the spread of COVID19 Some groups protested refusing to keep their distance marching against travel restrictions as if measures that governments must impose for the good of their people constitute some kind of political assault on autonomy or personal freedom he writes. https://www.marketwatch.com/story/pope-francis-lambasts-anti-mask-protests-what-matters-more-to-take-care-of-people-or-keep-the-financial-system-going-2020-11-24 25th Nov 2020

Partisan Exits

ABC News Crossborder community members and a regional MP have jumped to defend the Member for MacKillops comments after he broke ranks from the Liberal Party on Monday. Nick McBride lashed out at the State Government over its handling of the latest coronavirus outbreak saying the hard lockdown was an overreaction which hung businesses out to dry. He said health authorities should not have taken the word of one person to impose a lockdown on the entire state. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-25/sa-lockdown-covid-q19-border-mp-nick-mcbrides-criticism/12918746 25th Nov 2020

Partisan Exits

Reuters UK The owner of a Frankfurt restaurant is staging a protest against the coronavirus lockdown in Germany by filling his tables with a hundred stuffed toy pandas in a play on the word pandemic. German officials are expected on Wednesday to agree to extend until Dec. 20 a lockdown light they imposed on Nov. 2 that means bars restaurants and entertainment venues must stay closed while shops and schools can remain open. We wanted to put some life back into our restaurant said Guiseppe Fichera manager of restaurant Pino. They are PandaMic pandas. https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-germany-panda-prot/german-restaurant-bears-out-pandemic-with-furry-customers-idUKKBN2851OV 25th Nov 2020

Partisan Exits

AlJazeera Hundreds of people gathered at a street corner in downtown Bogota on Monday to commemorate the anniversary of Dilan Cruzs death. His mother and sister arranged a circle of flowers on the street where the 18yearold was shot by police a year earlier during an antigovernment protest with his clothes and a framed portrait placed in the centre. Throughout the vigil the mostly young crowd chanted Dilan didnt die Dilan was killed https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/11/25/the-fight-continues-colombia-protests-persist-amid-pandemic 25th Nov 2020

Continued Lockdown

The Conversation AU Parents have faced unprecedented stress during the pandemic as they care for children while juggling paid work from home. However very little research so far has focused on family wellbeing during the pandemic. So we asked more than 2000 parents to tell us in their own words about the pandemics impact on their families. We did this in April 2020 during Australias first lockdown. Our published study is the largest of its kind in Australia and one of very few internationally looking into families experiences of the pandemic. https://theconversation.com/we-asked-over-2-000-australian-parents-how-they-fared-in-lockdown-heres-what-they-said-150545 25th Nov 2020

Continued Lockdown

Reuters UK Germany reported a record 410 COVID19 deaths over 24 hours just before federal state leaders and Chancellor Angela Merkel were due to discuss an extension of pandemicrelated restrictions into December and for the Christmas and New Year holidays. The 16 federal states are expected to decide on Wednesday to extend the lockdown light until Dec. 20. This will keep bars restaurants and entertainment venues shut while schools and shops stay open. https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-germany/germany-plans-christmas-curbs-as-covid-19-deaths-hit-record-idUKKBN2850TX 25th Nov 2020

Continued Lockdown

Reuters UK The number of new coronavirus infections and the number of people in hospital with the virus in France dropped sharply as a national lockdown went into its fourth week. The health ministry reported the number of new cases rose by 9155 to 2.15 million on Tuesday compared with 4452 on Monday when numbers are usually low due to weekend reporting lags and compared with 45522 last Tuesday. https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-france-casualties/frances-new-coronavirus-cases-hospital-numbers-drop-sharply-idUKKBN2842XO 25th Nov 2020

Continued Lockdown

Reuters UK From fast food to fine dining some restaurants in Britain are relying on home kits to keep them afloat during lockdown turning clients into cooks who recreate favourite meals in the comfort of their own kitchens. For brothers James and Thom Elliot the lockdowns provided an unexpected lifeline for their pizza in the post Pizza Pilgrims business. The venture now sells over 1000 kits a day delivered by couriers. https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-britain-restaurant/cant-dine-out-uk-restaurants-offer-diy-meal-kits-to-survive-lockdown-idUKKBN2850OO 25th Nov 2020

Continued Lockdown

Reuters India Lithuania on Wednesday extended its coronavirus lockdown until Dec. 17 when the new government is expected to take over. The outgoing government said the lockdown had stabilised new infections at about 11000 per week twice as high as during the week of Nov. 4 when the threeweek lockdown was announced. The spread has slowed somewhat but the situation remains really serious Health Minister Aurelijus Veryga said during a televised cabinet session. https://uk.reuters.com/article/healthcare-coronavirus-lithuania/lithuania-extends-lockdown-as-covid-19-cases-surge-idINKBN2851P4 25th Nov 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

USA Today Earlier this week the drug company AstraZeneca announced that its vaccine was highly effective against COVID19. Thats great news for society. We now have three vaccines against the disease that are getting closer to winning approval. It also was good news for me. I think. Maybe. I hope. At some point in my adult life I developed an obsession with numbers especially the kind that might reveal the odds of something happening such as who will win the presidential election. Or whether the Packers should go for it on fourth and three. Or what my chances are of dying of COVID19. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2020/11/25/medical-writer-just-got-vaccinated-against-covid-19-maybe/6393672002/ 25th Nov 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

The Wall Street Journal With three Western vaccines showing promising effectiveness and a coalition of international health agencies gaining traction there is cautious optimism in the scramble to secure some doses for the worlds poorest countries. Promising trial results inspire optimism in the developing world which could yet become a reservoir for the virus for years to come if this issue is not addressed https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-covid-19-vaccines-stir-hope-for-the-worlds-poor-11606309201?mod=hp_lead_pos11 25th Nov 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Daily Mail Exclusive Pregnancy testlike sticks are currently being trialled for Covid19. But they like the widelyused HIV equivalent use gold nanoparticles. A red line is made to indicate a positive result when gold particles stick to virus. But using glowing nanodiamonds instead of gold particles gives a stronger signal and is also much more sensitive https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8986219/Blood-tests-Covid-19-100-000-times-sensitive-using-nanodiamonds.html 25th Nov 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Aberdeen Evening Express Researchers analysed how well the UK Governments tiers worked in England before the second national lockdown came into effect. Tier 1 restrictions were largely inadequate and Tier 2 rules were only effective in around half of local authority areas according to the University of East Anglia study. Tier 3 restrictions seemed to be effective in most areas the research which has not yet been peerreviewed found. However the researchers say the real problem lies with regions not being allocated to the most appropriate tier swiftly enough. https://www.eveningexpress.co.uk/news/uk/tier-1-had-little-impact-on-covid-19-transmission-study-suggests/ 25th Nov 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

nejm.org The analysis included 2314 healthy contacts of 672 index case patients with Covid19 who were identified between March 17 and April 28 2020. A total of 1116 contacts were randomly assigned to receive hydroxychloroquine and 1198 to receive usual care. Results were similar in the hydroxychloroquine and usualcare groups with respect to the incidence of PCRconfirmed symptomatic Covid19 5.7 and 6.2 respectively risk ratio 0.86 95 confidence interval 0.52 to 1.42. In addition hydroxychloroquine was not associated with a lower incidence of SARSCoV2 transmission than usual care 18.7 and 17.8 respectively. The incidence of adverse events was higher in the hydroxychloroquine group than in the usualcare group 56.1 vs. 5.9 but no treatmentrelated serious adverse events were reported. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2021801 25th Nov 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Science Magazine Some evidence suggests that slowly escalating the dose of a vaccine more closely mimics a natural viral infection leading to a more robust immune response. Its not really mechanistically pinned down exactly how it works Hill says. Because the different dosing schemes likely led to different immune responses Hill says researchers have a chance to suss out the mechanism by comparing vaccinated participants antibody and T cell levels. The 62 efficacy he says is a blessing in disguise. But Moore says the lowdose prime group resulted in too few cases to be confident in its results. Was that a real statistically robust 90 he asks. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/11/after-dosing-mix-latest-covid-19-vaccine-success-comes-big-question-mark 25th Nov 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

NPR The U.K is on its second lockdown and scientists say most sequences of new cases are from a coronavirus strain that originated in Spain which British tourists brought home from summer vacations. https://www.npr.org/2020/11/24/938593219/researchers-say-90-of-recent-coronavirus-sequences-in-u-k-came-from-spain 25th Nov 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

The Times of India New research adds to a growing body of evidence that young peoples anxiety levels doubled during Covid19 lockdown. The study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry revealed that the number of young people with anxiety doubled from 13 per cent to 24 per cent during the early stages of the Covid19 pandemic and lockdown. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/young-peoples-anxiety-levels-doubled-during-lockdown-study/articleshow/79406152.cms 25th Nov 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

The Indian Express The National Commission for Women sounded an alarm in early April that domestic violence cases had spiked in just the first week of the Covid19 lockdown as had distress calls. This was echoed by the UN SecretaryGeneral who used the term shadow pandemic. Since then across the world police shelters and helplines have confirmed that although the incidence of domestic violence was always higher than we would like to admit ther was an alarming increase in its frequenct during the panemic. https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/the-invisible-pandemic-7064335/ 25th Nov 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

The New York Times Some trial participants only got a partial dose of AstraZenecas vaccine. Experts said the companys spotty disclosures have eroded confidence. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/25/business/coronavirus-vaccine-astrazeneca-oxford.html 25th Nov 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Daily Mail Study looked at cost of governmentordered shutdowns from March to May. Found that lockdowns saved 29000 lives at a total cost of 169 billion. Costs included job losses and declines in companies market value. Study comes as states impose new restrictions and virus surges https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8983935/First-round-lockdowns-cost-6million-death-avoided-study-finds.html 25th Nov 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

The Associated Press China is stepping up virus inspections on imported food packaging as cooler weather brings new waves of coronavirus infections in several overseas countries Chinese officials said Wednesday. Packaging is not exempt from carrying the virus deputy director of the National Food Safety Risk Assessment Center Li Ning told reporters. While the coronavirus positivity rate for tests on packages was just 0.48 per 10000 that proportion is increasing along with the number of tests being conducted Li said. She said the virus could to some extent be passed to humans from packaging although neither Li or any other official at Wednesdays news conference mentioned any such confirmed cases. https://apnews.com/article/china-global-trade-food-safety-coronavirus-pandemic-6bb5d6cc90a3e34fb4607a6285ff5d64 25th Nov 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Nature.com Driving along Reykjaviks windswept roads on a cold March morning Kri Stefnsson turned up the radio. The World Health Organization had just announced that an estimated 3.4 of people infected with SARSCoV2 would die a shockingly high fatality rate some 30 times larger than that for seasonal influenza. There was a problem with that estimate however it was based on reported cases of COVID19 rather than all cases including mild and asymptomatic infections. I couldnt figure out how they could calculate it out without knowing the spread of the virus recalls Stefnsson who is the founder and chief executive of deCODE genetics a humangenomics company in Reykjavik. He became convinced that making sense of the epidemic and protecting the people of Iceland from it would require a sweeping scientific response. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-03284-3 25th Nov 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters UK Countries around the world agonised over new coronavirus curbs ahead of Christmas and other holidays as global infections approached 60 million on Wednesday and U.S. officials pleaded with Americans to stay home over Thanksgiving. The holiday weekend is expected to fuel a surge of infections in the United States which leads the world with soaring COVID19 infections and the daily toll on Tuesday climbing above 2000 the highest 24hour tally since early May. All the Thanksgiving travel ensures no one will catch us either said Dr. Tatiana Prowell of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. The U.S. each person for himself mindset is killing hundreds of thousands of us. Devastating to watch Prowell said on Twitter. https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus/world-scrambles-for-vaccine-deals-as-covid-infections-near-60-million-idUKKBN2851N3 25th Nov 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

South China Morning Post Chinese pharmaceutical giant files for regulatory approval according to Xinhua Finance. China National Biotec Group executive says data review is not complete but Sinopharm chairman says vaccines are protective and safe https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3111347/coronavirus-sinopharm-applies-regulatory-approval-china-launch 25th Nov 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Wall Street Journal As the number of people hospitalized due to the coronavirus rises across the U.S. hospitals are turning to a tactic they used in earlier surges hiring more traveling nurses. Demand is so great that hospitals are paying as much as twice the usual hourly pay for nurses in one case 140 an hour travelingnurse agencies and hospitalindustry leaders say. Hospitalizations which have set new records every day for two weeks hit a fresh high of 85836 on Nov. 23 according to the Covid Tracking Project. That is higher than any of the prior surges in the U.S. where hospitalizationsat their highestwere pushing the 60000 mark. https://www.wsj.com/articles/soaring-covid-19-hospitalizations-again-put-traveling-nurses-in-demand-11606326781 25th Nov 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

ABC news As Americans prepare for what will likely be an untraditional Thanksgiving health experts and state officials are pleading with the public to heed their warnings to not travel and to avoid large gatherings and the mixing of households as the country tries to get ahold on what experts call an uncontrolled spread of the coronavirus. If we layer in travel and large indoor gatherings which we know are drivers of transmission we expect to see a massive surge on top of an already dire situation said Dr. John Brownstein chief innovation officer at Boston Childrens Hospital and an ABC News contributor warning that such a surge could result in a humanitarian crisis. https://abcnews.go.com/Health/potential-covid-19-surge-thanksgiving-humanitarian-crisis-experts/story?id=74365407 25th Nov 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

NPR As the U.S. wades deeper into a brutal fall surge of the coronavirus Americans are living under a growing list of restrictions aimed at curbing the exponential rise of COVID19. But given the unrelenting advance of the virus can these varied approaches make a difference Or is it delaying the inevitable return to the sweeping lockdowns of the springtime Its really hard to slow it down once it gets going like this says Don Milton professor at the University of Maryland School of Public Health. Thats when these awful draconian measures come into play. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/11/24/937178668/are-more-lockdowns-inevitable-or-can-other-measures-stop-the-surge 25th Nov 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

The New York Times The leader of France says the country is past the peak of its second Covid19 wave. A surge in California is shattering records. Pennsylvania bans alcohol sales past 5 p.m. on Wednesday in a bid to stop preThanksgiving partying. https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/11/24/world/covid-19-coronavirus 25th Nov 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Wall Street Journal As Americans enter a period of peak travel among their states starting with Thanksgiving new discoveries about how Europes second coronavirus wave spread provide an object lesson. Many European regions had made such gains against Covid19 as to be cited as models. Those gains proved fragile Unanticipated pockets of infection on the continent and a rush to relax rules allowed it to surge across Europe again. Much of Europes new wave can now be traced to outbreaks among agricultural workers living in cramped conditions in Spains Catalonia and Aragn regions according to researchers from Switzerland and Spain. It spread to nearby cities and across Spain then home with tourists. https://www.wsj.com/articles/europe-covid-surge-holidy-travel-11606238690 25th Nov 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Times of India Delhi which once successfully turned the tide over in COVID19 is grappling with infection spikes again. The same has been witnessed in other cities across India. Unlike what many believe the worst might not just be over yet. This despite the fact that India as a country is witnessing a depleting peak of COVID. While authorities are imposing strict measures to safeguard the community there have been significant lapses on the part of the public as well. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health-news/coronavirus-surge-is-lockdown-fatigue-to-be-blamed-for-the-rise-in-cases/photostory/79402711.cms 25th Nov 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Straits Times Falling temperatures young asymptomatic spreaders and small social gatherings where people tend to take off their masks. These are reasons cited by experts to explain South Koreas latest surge in coronavirus cases in what is viewed as the third major wave since February and possibly the biggest and toughest to curb. South Korea which has prided itself on using massive testing and aggressive contact tracing to fight the coronavirus outbreak without resorting to lockdowns is now struggling to contain Covid19 ahead of an allimportant college entrance exam due on Dec 3. https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/winter-cold-young-spreaders-small-gatherings-spur-south-koreas-covid-19-third-wave 25th Nov 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Germany reported a record 410 COVID19 deaths in the last 24 hours before the 16 federal state leaders and Chancellor Angela Merkel meet on Wednesday to discuss restrictions for the Christmas and New Year holidays. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases increased by 18633 to 961320 data from the Robert Koch Institute RKI for infectious diseases showed. https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-germany/germany-reports-record-covid-19-deaths-ahead-of-christmas-talks-idUSL8N2IB1AJ 25th Nov 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters The global tally of confirmed coronavirus cases hit 60 million on Wednesday with the pace of new infections accelerating and the United States reporting record numbers of hospitalizations according to a Reuters tally. The United States has reported 1 million new COVID19 cases in less than a week taking its total reported infections to over 12.5 million and its death toll to 260000 according to the Reuters data based on official statements. Globally infections stood at 60.005 million and deaths at 1.4 million. https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-global-cases/global-coronavirus-cases-surpass-60-million-infections-reuters-tally-idUSKBN2852S8 25th Nov 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

AlJazeera South Korea has reported almost 600 new cases of coronavirus the highest in more than eight months as the country scrambles to contain a third wave of infections despite months of stringent safety measures nationwide. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency KDCA said that sporadic cluster infections across the country from private gatherings public facilities hospitals and the military were behind most of the 583 new cases on Thursday. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/11/26/south-korea-sees-record-number-of-covid-19-cases-in-eight-months 25th Nov 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

AlJazeera Daily US deaths from COVID19 surpassed 2000 for the first time since May and with hospitals across the country already full portending a surge in mortalities to come as the coronavirus pandemic casts a shadow over the holiday season. The death toll reached 2100 on Tuesday with another 200000 people infected according to a Johns Hopkins University tally numbers that experts say could grow with millions of Americans defying official warnings and travelling for Thursdays Thanksgiving holiday. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/11/25/us-hits-highest-death-toll-since-may-with-hospitals-already-full 25th Nov 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

South China Morning Post Human resources minister M. Saravanan assails company for terrible living conditions of workers and vows stern action. Company chairman dismisses possibility that its gloves could be contaminated as a result of the mass infections among work force https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3111380/coronavirus-malaysia-top-glove-defensive-over-treatment-foreign?utm_term=Autofeed&amputm_medium=Social&amputm_content=article&amputm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1606317427 25th Nov 2020

New Lockdown

Hindustan Times In India due to the rise in the number of Covid19 cases in various states the Centre on Wednesday allowed states and union territories to impose local restrictions such as night curfew based on their assessment of the situation. However they cannot impose any local lockdown outside the containment zones without prior consultation with the Centre. The MHA also said that state governments can consider implementing staggered office timings and other suitable measures in cities where the weekly case positivity rate is more than 10 percent so that the number of employees attending offices at the same time can be reduced. https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/states-can-order-night-curfews-but-no-lockdown-in-new-covid-guidelines/story-jbVfE70qQJiC6ufgr6nQUK.html 25th Nov 2020

New Lockdown

Reuters UK Bulgaria said on Wednesday it would close schools restaurants shopping malls and gyms until Dec. 21 as it struggles to contain a surge in new coronavirus infections. Only one thing has been proven to have an impact on COVID19 decreasing social contacts or quarantine. To ease the pressure on hospitals that are on the brink we are introducing measures for three weeks Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said. Like much of central and eastern Europe Bulgaria weathered the first wave of the COVID19 pandemic relatively well in the spring but cases have spiked across the region this autumn. https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-bulgaria-idUKKBN28517O 25th Nov 2020